English Teacher & Social Entrepreneur - MatthewAlberto.com

Top Reasons to Teach English Overseas

August 5, 2011 | By Matthew Alberto

Hey all,
Just wanted to share with you an opportunity to actually travel the world, while making money and changing the world in the lives of kids.

When I was volunteering in Bangladesh for 2 years with a number of other Australians and international aid workers, I noticed that there was a huge demand for English teachers. An Aussie friend of mine, Les, actually travelled to Bangladesh with me, and while I specialized in humanitarian work, his work focused on teaching English and improving English education in Bangladeshi schools. He shared with me his many stories about how he taught English in primary schools in so many countries in Asia, including Vietnam, Indonesia and South Korea. Really inspiring stories.

So that’s why, in this post, I wanted to share how you can get on board with teaching English overseas.

Many people choose to teach English overseas because there is a huge demand for TEFL teachers worldwide. Getting into this line of work is a great opportunity to break away from your current life and forge a new career path abroad. This is a career that allows you to travel, work and get paid to see more of the world. The reason is because you earn money teaching English abroad.

If English is your native language you instantly have an advantage in terms of training to become a TEFL teacher. There are a number of highly regarded TEFL teaching institutions, which is a Teach English abroad course, where you can learn, gain experience and accreditation, and go on to teach English around the world. There are even People from various walks of life choose this career path for different reasons. Some are globetrotters who want to make it a permanent lifestyle, while others are looking for a gap year experience.

Teach English at the Primary Level

Several studies have highlighted the significant positive impact that those who teach English abroad can have on young children in foreign countries. Even European countries that are deeply passionate about their local languages and cultures have recognized the benefits of teaching English to their children at primary schools. Learning English at an early age has been show to help students grasp their own language even better, and simultaneously enables them to acquire remarkable proficiency in their second language.

Currently most international media content is in English, along with most important research studies from major institutions. It has been proven that teaching children a second language at an early age does not negatively affect their views on their own culture, and on the contrary it actually improves their capacity to grasp their native tongue and appreciate their own culture.

Opportunities to Teach English Overseas

There are many opportunities to teach English around the world, such as programs with i-to-i Travel and many others, so choosing the right one for you can be tricky. Although many countries abroad have English-teaching programs, not all of these are equal in terms of ease of access and providing politically secure working environments. In countries that currently face civil and political unrest, it is wise to exercise informed prudence in the selection of an English-teaching program to ensure a rewarding teaching and cultural experience that is also safe.

There are extra benefits available to those who teach English in Asia as compared to other destinations. Pay tends to be the highest in Asian economies due to their rapid pace of economic expansion. The combination of phenomenal growth, heavy job creation and a high demand for English as the international language of business makes Asia the preeminent destination for English teachers.